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Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: ChrisM42 ()
Date: August 10, 2021 15:57

The Voodoo Lounge 'groove tracks':

Suck On The Jugular

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: Screamer ()
Date: August 25, 2021 01:50

Those quick drum bursts in Ruby Tuesday.

The majestic back beat of Midnight Rambler.

The hi-hat work and subtle fills in Hand of Fate.

Loud drum fills and intro in Slave.

Prominent snare throughout Almost Hear You Sigh.

Of course, the trash cans of Moon is Up.

And so many more... smoking smiley

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: ryanpow ()
Date: August 25, 2021 02:14

Quote
LeonidP
Quote
ChrisM42
Time signature on Ventilator Blues

Brilliant!

I think so too! ... Definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album!!

IIRC, Bobby Keys helped Charlie get the timing on that right by clapping the rhythm for him.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-25 02:15 by ryanpow.

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: MisterDDDD ()
Date: August 25, 2021 03:23

Charlie Watts: 10 Songs That Showcase His Masterful Drumming With the Rolling Stones



Without stretching the comparison too far, Charlie Watts was the Elvis Presley of rock and roll drumming: There was BC (Before Charlie) and after, and he can’t be compared realistically with anyone who followed because he’s an integral part of the foundation not just of the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band,” but rock and roll itself.

Watts was wry and rock-steady in both his playing and his personality. Never a flashy drummer — he always used a small kit — his whipcrack snare, driving rhythms and preternatural sense of swing powered the band from the day he joined in January of 1963 until his death earlier today, at the age of 80. Yet his low-key demeanor and steadiness masked the complexity of his work: A lifelong jazz enthusiast — he led several jazz bands over the years during downtime from the Stones — his playing bore a groove and a subtlety that marks the greatest drummers of that genre, along with a disdain for the clichés that many rock drummers fall prey to. (See the songs below for more on that.)

The Stones have not played a single concert without him since he joined (although they’ll play their first during their rescheduled U.S. tour next month), and released just a handful of songs recorded with a different drummer. The best-known of those, 1974’s “Its Only Rock and Roll,” features Faces/Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones, who played on the song’s original session, and the group never replaced his part. Jones said in 2015, “I called Charlie up and said, ‘I didn’t mean to play drums on your album.’ He said, ‘That’s okay. It sounds like me anyway.’ He’s a lovely guy, Charlie. A perfect gentleman.”

The core of Watts’ and the Stones’ greatness lies in the primal groove they attained on their best performances, a powerful, larger-than-life swing where the rhythm section and the guitars lock in and the entire sound seems to lift off. On tour, the Stones rarely changed their setlists after the first couple of gigs, so the quality of the show depended on the degree to which they attained that groove. You can hear it on the 1971 concert included with the ultra-deluxe edition of “Sticky Fingers”: The group is barely two minutes into the opening “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” before it sets in: the inimitable laid-back tension that is at the heart of the Stones’ magic, which is largely due to the telepathic interplay between Richards’ rhythm guitar and Watts’ loose-but-tight drumming.

Sadly, we won’t be hearing it happen again, but there are thousands of hours of Rolling Stones studio recordings and concerts where you can. It’s impossible to pin down Charlie Watts’ best moments because he rarely missed a beat, let alone played badly, but below are 10 of his greatest and most versatile performances.

“Satisfaction” (1965) Sure, Keith Richards’ riff and the risqué-for-the-time lyrics are most remembered, but Watts’ complex, un-obvious rhythm, punctuated with stabs of tambourine, is what gives this all-time classic rock and roll song its pulse.
[www.youtube.com]

“Little Red Rooster” (1964) It was a great point of pride for the Stones that they took their version of this pure Chicago blues song, written by the great Willie Dixon, to the top of the British singles chart in 1964. Watts anchors the song with characteristic subtlety, his busy brushstrokes contrasting with gentle rimshots and unhurried bass drum.
[www.youtube.com]

“Under My Thumb” (1966) As the first moments of this song prove, Watts’ style may have sounded simple but rarely was: He counts off the song and then adds rolling flourishes on the snare before easing back when Jagger’s vocal starts.
[www.youtube.com]

“Let’s Spend the Night Together” (1967) Again eschewing the obvious, Watts mixes up the time signatures on this risqué (again!) track, shifting from hard downbeats on the chorus before transitioning, after a snare roll, into a smoother rhythm on the verses. That tension livens up the song and provides a subtle but unmistakable cue that the chorus is coming.
[www.youtube.com]

“Street Fighting Man” (1968) According to legend, Richards and Watts laid down the basic track for this song at home on cassette, with Watts playing a toy drum kit. They later couldn’t recapture the vibe of the original recording, so they stuck with it, adding overdubs to beef up the sound — proving that a true artist can create greatness with the simplest tools.
[www.youtube.com]

“Honky Tonk Women” (1969) The all-percussion intro to this song provides Watts with a rare moment in the spotlight he usually shunned — and ironically, this master of rhythm originally couldn’t get the beat for the song. Producer Jimmy Miller (no mean drummer himself; that’s him covering for Watts on “Happy” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”) picked up a cowbell and began clanking out the rhythm that opens the song, and Watts fell in.
[www.youtube.com]

“Gimme Shelter” (1969) Here is an example of what happens when the quiet one speaks loudly. This opening track from “Let It Bleed” — arguably the group’s most consistent album — starts off quietly but gradually builds as the instruments join in. Watts begins gently but instantly ramps up the intensity with a couple of snare cracks, shifting the time signature to lead into the vocals. Playing slightly behind the beat, his simple, thudding fills drive home the song’s apocalyptic intensity more than an avalanche of drum rolls could.
[www.youtube.com]

“Can’t You Hear Me Knockin'” This classic from “Sticky Fingers” shows off not just Watts’ power but also his versatility: While the song is mainly a guitar showcase — famously, Richards is in the driver’s seat for the first half of the song while Mick Taylor takes over for the second — Watts rides the song’s subtle shifts in rhythm throughout its seven-plus minutes.
[www.youtube.com]

“Rip This Joint” (1972) A classic from “Exile on Main Street,” this raucous roadhouse romp may be the fastest song in the Watts canon. An unusually animated Watts rolls out nearly every drum fill in his repertoire as the song roars by in less than two-and-a-half minutes.
[www.youtube.com]

“Miss You” (1978) “Sacrilege!” some cried when the Stones “went disco” in 1978, but this lead single from the album that revived their career — after Richards’ long drug travails and general ‘70s malaise — proved that the world’s greatest rock and roll band could still dance. And key to it was Watts’ flawless rhythm, which worked equally well on dancefloors and arena floors — and showed that a true master can adapt to any musical context.
[www.youtube.com]

[variety.com]

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: Send It To me ()
Date: August 25, 2021 03:44

Check out the drums on Mixed Emotions

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: amg077 ()
Date: August 25, 2021 04:20

I like his energetic drums in lets spend the night together


just before they say lets spend the night together

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: VoodooLounge13 ()
Date: August 25, 2021 05:37

Heartbreaker
You Got Me Rocking
Driving Too Fast
Too Tight
Mixed Emotions
Highwire
Paint It, Black
Thru and Thru
How Can I Stop
Monkey Man



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-25 23:05 by VoodooLounge13.

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: micawber ()
Date: August 25, 2021 11:53

Fool to cry!!!

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: tommyturbo76 ()
Date: August 25, 2021 13:17

I saw an interview ages ago where Charlie said he liked to *play* Going to a GoGo on the ‘81 tour

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: forest73 ()
Date: August 25, 2021 13:21

Get Yer y’a yas out. !

Complète records

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: KRiffhard ()
Date: August 25, 2021 13:29

Where the boys go
Respectable
Honky Tonk Woman
Moon is up
Summer Romance
Hold on to your hat
Fancyman Blues
Mixed Emotions
You got Me rocking
Flip the switch

...but i like his style on every songs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-25 13:30 by KRiffhard.

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: KRiffhard ()
Date: August 25, 2021 13:53

Quote
Send It To me
Check out the drums on Mixed Emotions

You're right

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: mattstones ()
Date: August 25, 2021 14:16

Sway

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: Maindefender ()
Date: August 25, 2021 17:13

Charlie's drums shined on Black and Blue. And the upcoming Tattoo You is not to shabby either...smileys with beer

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: VoodooLounge13 ()
Date: August 25, 2021 23:06

Quote
tommyturbo76
I saw an interview ages ago where Charlie said he liked to *play* Going to a GoGo on the ‘81 tour


just listened to that and it was a good one!

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: sbetz ()
Date: August 25, 2021 23:13

'WHEN THE WHIP COMES DOWN' - FOR SURE. Charlie picks up so much steam at the end of this one. Incredible drumming. Incredible!!

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: The Worst. ()
Date: August 25, 2021 23:33

I can't come up with just 10 songs. It's 10 categories more like.

I love the slow, loose and sexy groove on recordings such as "SWAY", "Knocking", "Slave", "Hot Stuff", "Tumbling Dice", "Monkey Man", "Fingerprint File", “Dance pt.1”, “Dancing with Mr. D” and many, many, many more.

I love how he bangs and smashes his way into songs like he does on "It Won't Take Long" and "Rough Justice" and "Jiving Sister Fanny" and many more.

I just love how he starts his drumming on Start Me Up. It's so wrong it's perfect. There's just nothing like it and that's the main reason no other band has ever managed to make an interesting cover of “Start Me Up”. Every other version sound flat and boring.

I love his swinging R&B-drumming on songs like "Route 66", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "Carol" and countless more numbers from the 60s. So important for that early rock and roll sound that made The Rolling Stones something else.

I love his unique drum fills on recordings such as "Where The Boys Go"

I love his drum intros: “Get Off Of My Cloud”, “Flip The Switch”, “Slave”
They're all straight to the point. No Nonsense.

I love the banging drums on "Street Fighting Man". The most unique drum sound ever? So simple, yet so effective.

I love those hard-hitting strikes on “Citadel” and “Thru and Thru”. Sounds like canon shots.

I just love his swinging, funky, loose, rock and roll drumming on recordings such as “Brown Sugar”, “Bitch”, “Rip This Joint” etc. etc.

I loved watching him live on songs such as “Midnight Rambler” and “Miss You”. Mick and the boys stole the show and got all the attention, but it was Charlie that kept everything together. And I loved it when they were jamming out on "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Street Fighting Man" and "Out of Control" with Keith and Charlie locked in together and could just go on forever.

I love his gentle touch, feel and understanding for drumming on softer songs and ballads such as “Angie”, “Wild Horses”, “Winter”, “Beast of Burden”, "Moonlight Mile", "Let it Loose" and many, many more.

Did I mention “Gimme Shelter”? What a groove!

I’m listening to A Bigger Bang right now. A hell of a drum album. Remember when he returned from illness to the studio and Don Was announced: “Charlie is back and he is drumming like a lion”. He was not wrong.

Thank you for all the fantastic music, Charlie. He was a vital part of the unique Stones sound. Without him, no Stones. Simple as that.

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: camper88 ()
Date: August 25, 2021 23:39

Charlie's the only drummerI know who has over three hundred songs in his top ten.
Can't think of a bad one.

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: Cubanstones ()
Date: August 26, 2021 00:05

Come on….its gotta be the drum intro to Honkey Tonk. Thats the Charlie song that can never be duplicated!

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: rebelrebel ()
Date: August 26, 2021 00:35

Sister Morphine deserves a mention. Impossible to select 10; the man was immaculate.

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: stevecardi ()
Date: August 26, 2021 02:20

Can't pick just ten. Here are my personal favorites in no particular order:

Sympathy for The Devil
Paint It Black (studio and live versions)
Honky Tonk Women
Moon Is Up
Suck on the Jugular
Love Is Strong
Rock and A Hard Place
Neighbors
Rip This Joint
Flip The Switch
Hang Fire
Let's Spend The Night Together
Get Off Of My Cloud
When The Whip Comes Down
Let Me Go (both studio and live versions LSTNT and SL)
Going To A Go Go
Salt Of The Earth
Prodigal Son
Street Fighting Man (Ya Yas Version)
Sympathy for the Devil (Ya Yas version)
Jig Saw Puzzle
Bitch
Almost Hear You Sigh
Midnight Rambler (all versions: studio and live)
Ruby Tuesday
Another CR (this song now needs to be released)
anything from 1972-1973 tours
Ain't Too Proud To Beg
Hand of Fate
Melody
Too Much Blood
Gunface
Little Baby
Prodigal Son



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-08-26 02:26 by stevecardi.

Re: Top Ten Charlie Watts Songs
Posted by: duke richardson ()
Date: August 26, 2021 07:40

Quote
andrewt
Quote
stones1962
I always thought Charlie's drumming on "Dandelion" was one of his best as well.

Rob

Those fills at the end are outstanding.
One of my favourites as well.

Can't You Hear Me Knocking & Slave would be a good additions to the list as well.
I also have a weakness for the snare hits on If You Can't Rock Me
(Among many others, naturally)

Yes the improvised 2nd half of ‘Can’t you Hear Me Knocking’ has lots of jazz elements from his pre-Stones playing .. playing so well with an improvised section..

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